[1337lizard]

Hello headfi, new member jumping on after months of referring to the forums for advice and wisdom concerning headsets. Became a bit obsessed with music after hearing decent headphones about a year ago. I used to be one of those guys that would buy a five dollar headset from dollar general, worry more about comfort than quality, and go buy another when that one broke. I'm now converted. Part of that conversion involves testing new cans that I can get my hands on, and the aviators were one of those. 
 
I was pretty doubtful about skullcandy's claim to have made something with high end sound quality and turned my nose up without even testing them, but last week I was wandering around best buy christmas shopping with my mother and decided to just try a pair. Next to best buy's lineup they actually held up really well. They beat the snot out of beats solo which was priced fifty dollars higher but were about tied with a klipsch image one in overall sound quality. The klipsch sounded a bit brighter while the aviators were a little more mellow. The difference was pretty slight, cost was the same ($150). My problem is this: I had only the ability to compare to other headphones offered by best buy (not the best selection) and my personal opinion on skull candy headphones isn't very good. I was thinking about getting a pair simply because they sounded decent and they look good (I don't mind paying a little extra for comfort, trendiness, etc as long as it's not ridiculous) so I'd like headfi's opinion before I take a plunge. Oh and if anyone knows of any quality issues that would be handy knowledge (speakers blowing out in first 100 hrs, etc) 

 

[Byakushiki]

This all depends on your musical tastes. I question how good the Aviators are if you're not a basshead, as they were more or less designed for today's teens who love stronger bass. Granted, it's much better bass than what one gets with Beats but still. If you're looking for a more balanced sound, I'd point you over towards Shure SRH's or ATH-M50. Otherwise though, I think Aviators punch pretty well for their price point with very nice looks. Can't go wrong with Aviator glasses alongside them either. The Image Ones I haven't heard but apparently you can get them cheaper than $150.

 

[Blue Boat]

There was a thread regarding Aviator's sound problems at a display booth. They had to swap the Aviators out everyday because it would go dead on one side of something. Google it. What kind of sound/songs do you like? Lots of choices at the $150 price range. 

 

[1337lizard]

Well to put it in perspective, my first decent cans I bought were the Sony XB500, and I love it for the bass. I am a bit of a basshead but with the XB500 I have all the base I really need. I'm more looking for something with a good sound stage and great clarity so I can hear the music differently than with the XB500 I've got. A lot of the music I listen to does depend on the bass, so the XB500 works great for most of it, but some of my music gets muddy because the bass is overpowering and some of the songs don't really need powerful bass. I've looked at getting a pair of grados, ms1, and I've looked at some akg headsets but I'm still not entirely certain what to get. Comfort is pretty important since I use headsets extensively, and I'd rather it doesn't look like a cheap plastic model. Figure if I dish out 100-150 bucks it ought to look and feel a little better than $30 cans. 

 

[Saintkeat]

Sound Quality wise, I'd say the Aviators are worth $100. If you can find them at that price just take them. However, if you're looking to spend a bit more, I'd strongly suggest the ATH-M50.
 
I'm a Basshead too.

 

[GigaFi]

Do note that they have lifetime warranty however.
 
Quote:

There was a thread regarding Aviator's sound problems at a display booth. They had to swap the Aviators out everyday because it would go dead on one side of something. Google it. What kind of sound/songs do you like? Lots of choices at the $150 price range.